CHAPTER 87: _NOT A COWARD

Elian’s POV

*****

Lucian told him about the Eastern wolves’ desire to see the two of them get married.

And how did Elian feel about that? Torn. Confused.

Ugh, emotions were so fucking confusing and Lucian being a Douchebag wasn’t helping things at all.

[Oh, come on. You’d look good in one of those hot wedding attires.]

When Aurora stepped into the room, he knew then and there that they would have to tell her about the suspicion of Magnus.

And they did.

But what he didn’t expect in a million years was Lucian getting arrested when they stepped out of the room.

"What the heck do you mean by possession of magic charms?" Lucian sneered at the guards without trying to seem calm, glaring at them. "Do I look like the kind of person to have anything to do with magic?"

Elian watched him closely, glancing briefly at Aurora who seemed just as confused.

’What are—’

[Sometimes I wonder if you’re even a resident of this world.]

[A magic charm is an arcane object that can take any form or shape and grants the user the ability to... Spy on or manipulate things from great distances.]

Elian furrowed his eyebrows.

He had noticed the system’s pause during that mental explanation and knew instantly that something was off here.

"Sir, we found the destroyed charms in your room." The guard leading the rest stepped forward, raising his hands and attempting to hold Lucian. "Just come with us so your father—"

"Touch me and you’ll know why I got the name ’white wolf’," Lucian said coldly, tilting his head at the guards. "Someone is obviously trying to frame me."

[Yeah, something’s not adding up... One sec.]

Elian waited as a translucent invisible screen appeared before his face, showing him some info.

[So last night, during dinner... You felt a mysterious presence watching you. At first, I thought you were battling with your sanity...]

’Funny.’

[But... You felt it again when you walked back to your room. Then there was that Alpha class wolf lingering in your room.]

’Where is all of this going?’ Elian couldn’t help but ask, squinting his eyes the more the system went on.

"It’s orders from the Alpha King, sir." Another guard spoke up, raising his chin. "Please, don’t resist. Just follow us to his throne room."

[These magic charms they’re accusing Lucian of possessing... What if they were dropped by the Alpha-class intruder last night? To frame him and observe you at the same time.]

That... Gods, of course!

That made a lot of sense.

"Fine..." Lucian let out a sigh, shaking his head before turning his gaze to Elian and Aurora. He stepped closer to them, staring briefly at Elian before focusing on Aurora.

"Watch him for me, will you?"

Elian frowned while Aurora sighed heavily.

"Why can’t I just go confront Magnus myself? He’s my mate. If—"

"No, Aurora." Lucian placed his hand on her shoulder, shaking his head and whispering. "You have to promise that no matter what, you don’t contact Magnus about any of this. Two of you stay low until we can find out what happened to Commander Dorel."

Aurora hesitated at first but eventually nodded, looking away from Lucian.

The Alpha Prince gave Elian one final look, making sure it was prolonged until Elian’s face heated up.

"Don’t do anything stupid." That was the only thing Lucian said to him before turning to the guards, clearing his throat.

"Well, lead the way." He gestured at the guards, brushing past them.

Elian pressed his lips into a thin line, watching them take his mate away. The deeper they went in this, the more he felt like the walls were closing in on them.

"He got framed," Aurora muttered just then, forcing Elian to turn his gaze to her.

She had her arms folded in front of her chest, her eyes narrowed like she was plotting murder.

Elian shivered nervously when he saw that look but managed to stay composed, forcing a small smile. "I’m sure he’ll get out of it. Right now we need to lay low until—"

"Lying low?" Aurora repeated, scoffing as she turned to face him. "Please. That’s for cowards afraid of a confrontation. And I’m not a coward."

Elian gawked at her, watching as she turned away from him before walking down the opposite end of the hallway, her high heels clicking on the marble floor.

[You have two choices here: One, wait for Daddy Lucian to help you out of this. Or two: Take matters into your own hands.]

’And how the heck do I take matters into my own hands?’ Elian asked, his fists clenching.

Suddenly, Aurora paused, looking over her shoulder at him. "You coming or what? You heard my brother saying I should watch you."

[That’s how. She’s your shield.]

Elian blinked for a couple of seconds before nodding, running along to catch up with her.

When he got beside her, she continued walking, stopping in front of an Ascension platform.

Elian had to ask. "You heard your brother also saying we shouldn’t confront Magnus. Are we—"

"Oh, yeah. I heard." Aurora’s voice was too calm as the platform doors opened. When they stepped in, a small smile devoid of warmth curled up her lips. "But he didn’t say anything about confronting Estella. And I know where she hides."

Elian swallowed hard as the metal doors slid shut in front of them, the runic symbols lighting up with a bright blue light. Then it went down.

.

.

"For all we know, Estella could be on the run by now," Elian whispered to Aurora when they stepped out of the palace, navigating through a maze of high moon shrubs. "I think we should go retrieve the recording from the palace tech experts first."

Aurora only gave him one look before she spoke. "Good point. But I know what I’m doing."

[Translation: Shut up and let her handle business.]

They walked past a couple of guards wearing golden armour who bowed in acknowledgement of Aurora, but she barely paid them any heed.

Soon enough, they stopped at what seemed like the end of the maze, Elian getting a little dazed scanning his gaze on the dozens of silver moon flowers.

[ALERT: Two Alpha-class wolves are close by.]

Elian’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced at Aurora. For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if she was in on this whole thing as well.

But what he saw at the end of the maze shattered that idea almost instantly.

It was Estella, her face only inches away from a man whose back faced them. But even from this angle, Elian was able to guess who the man was.

[Oh... Crap.]

"Magnus!" Aurora yelled with unfiltered rage, storming toward them.

Estella jolted while the man slowly turned around to face them. But when he did, Elian saw the cruel smirk on his face, causing a cold shiver to run down his spine.

"Aurora, don’t!" Elian called out to her but just when he took another step forward, a blinding white light flashed, alongside a loud ringing sound that disoriented him.

He clutched his ears, gritting his teeth in pain as he fell to the ground, trying to stay conscious.

[WARNING: High-grade military flash weapon used on the host. Host has temporarily lost his senses of sight and hearing.]

Yeah, no shit!

"Fuck me sideways..." He whispered with a strained voice as his consciousness slipped away.